LogFAQs > #980200905

Overwhelmingly positive opinion of the students putting themselves on the line to support the Palestinian people and protest the genocide being done to them. I could not be more proud of the way the vast majority of these very young people have behaved, and of their organizational discipline when dealing with counter-protestors, police, and especially hostile/adversarial media.

kind9 posted...

Possibly a stupid question but what are these protests at American college campuses supposed to accomplish regarding a foreign war? What are these students going to get done here in America? Why don't they just go home and play Minecraft?

Pretty much all of these Universities have either money invested in, or receive grant money from, sources tied to Israel, and in some cases defense contractors whose weapons are currently being used to ethnically cleanse Gaza. One of the main goals of these protests is divestment from these, and a transparent process from the school administrators in doing so.

Here, for example, is a page listing the overall goals of the students protesting at Columbia University:

https://cuapartheiddivest.org/demands

No.1 FINANCIAL DIVESTMENT
Divest all of Columbias finances, including the endowment, from companies and institutions that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide and occupation in Palestine. Ensure accountability by increasing transparency around financial investments.

No.2 ACADEMIC BOYCOTT
Sever academic ties with Israeli universities, including the Global Center in Tel Aviv, the Dual Degree Program with Tel Aviv University, and all study-abroad programs, fellowships, and research collaborations with Israeli academic institutions.

No.3 STOP THE DISPLACEMENT
No land grabs, whether in Harlem, Lenapehoking, or Palestine. Cease expansion, provide reparations, and support housing for low-income Harlem residents. No development by Columbia without real community control.

No.4 NO POLICING ON CAMPUS
End the targeted repression of Palestinian students and their allies on and off campus, including through university disciplinary processes. Defund Public Safety and disclose and sever all ties with the NYPD.

No.5 END THE SILENCE
Release a public statement calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza, denouncing the ongoing genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people, and call on government officials to do so too.